The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has warned the public against a worldwide virus outbreak that goes by the name of ‘Emotet’. The virus is a malicious system that spreads malware and infects users through its bulk spam email campaigns containing harmful links to users.
Emotet first emerged in 2014, originally designed as a banking malware that attempted to sneak onto an individual’s computer and steal sensitive and private information. Later versions of the software saw the addition of spamming.
The TRA also warned the public of the risk of fraudulent messages that mislead recipients into thinking that they are from reliable sources and invite them to click on certain links or send private information by phone, email or otherwise, ultimately making the recipient a victim of scam and online fraud.
A widespread of fraudulent messages containing links have been recently detected. Such message reach users via SMS and WhatsApp, impersonating a well-known company or bank established in the UAE, which then ask the user to call some numbers, provide personal data and bank card details, under the pretext of unblocking the ATM card. Users become victims of fraud and theft due to lack of awareness of such methods used in the attack.